1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an ice dispenser and, in particular, to the operation control of an agitating device in an ice storage vessel of an ice dispenser.
2. Background of the Related Art
In conventional ice dispensers, it can happen that ice cubes in the ice storage vessel are melted and stick together in clusters, thereby hindering the discharge of ice cubes or deteriorating the ice quality. Thus, in such ice dispensers, an agitating device is provided in the ice storage vessel in order to prevent ice cubes from sticking together in clusters, and this agitating device is periodically operated. An example of an ice storage vessel provided with such an agitating device is disclosed in Japanese Examined Utility Model Publication No. 61-27033.
According to the above-mentioned publication, when the ice storage vessel is filled to capacity, the ice-making operation is stopped, and, at the same time, a timer starts set-time counting. Each time the timer expires, i.e., each time the set time expires, a scrape-out fin (agitating device) is rotated. In ice dispensers of this type, the scrape-out fin is usually also rotated when discharging ice.
However, in the scrape-out fin control according to the prior-art technique described in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 61-27033, the timer is not reset when the scrape-out fin is operated for the purpose of discharging ice. Thus, it can happen that immediately after ice is discharged during the non-ice-making period to operate the scrape-out fin, the timer expires to cause further (continuous) operation of the fin. When the scrape-out fin is thus operated at an excessively short interval, the ice cubes are melted due to the friction heat of the scrape-out fin, with the result that sticking together of ice cubes is liable to occur. Thus, ice cubes are not sufficiently prevented from sticking together.
The present invention has been made in view of the above problem in the prior-art technique. It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide an ice dispenser in which the agitating device in the ice storage vessel is operated to a requisite minimal degree to thereby prevent ice cubes in the ice storage vessel from sticking together and allow ice to be smoothly discharged from the ice storage vessel and in which it is possible to maintain a fixed quality of ice discharged.
To achieve the above object, in a main aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ice dispenser comprising an ice-making device, an ice storage vessel, an ice discharge port, an agitating device for agitating ice in the ice storage vessel, and an operation control device which operates the agitating device at the time of ice discharge and ice-making operation and which, when no ice-making operation is being performed, causes the agitating device to operate after an interval of a predetermined first set time for a predetermined second set time by timer means, wherein, when the agitating device is stopped by stopping the ice discharge or ice-making operation, the operation control device resets the timer means to start the first set time.
In this ice dispenser, constructed as described above, when ice discharge or ice-making operation is performed to operate the agitating device, the first set time is started upon stopping the operation of the agitating device, so that there is no possibility of the agitating device being re-operated immediately after the operation of the agitating device at the time of ice discharge or ice-making operation. For this purpose, the agitating device is operated after an interval of a predetermined first set time, thereby eliminating the possibility of unnecessary operation of the agitating device. Thus, it is possible to some degree to prevent ice cubes from sticking together. This also enables the ice in the ice storage vessel to be smoothly discharged.
In another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an operation control device for use in the above-described ice dispenser.
In still another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an ice dispenser operation control method comprising the steps of: preparing an ice dispenser as described above, and resetting the timer means to start the first set time when the agitating device is stopped by stopping ice discharge or ice-making operation.